Nigeria’s Falconets kicked off their 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Korea early Monday morning at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo, Colombia.

Exciting forward Flourish Sabastine netted the winning goal four minutes from time to hand the Falconets all the maximum points on offer.

The first half was a tense affair, with both teams struggling to create clear chances. However, the Falconets started the second half with renewed vigour.

Imuran tried to set up Mary Nkpa for the opener, but the forward couldn’t capitalise on the opportunity. Imuran had another chance to score from a free-kick, but her effort sailed over the crossbar.

A moment of anxiety followed when goalkeeper Shukurat Bakare misjudged a free-kick, almost gifting South Korea a goal, but the Koreans failed to take advantage. 

The Falconets continued to push for a breakthrough, and their persistence paid off in the 86th minute. Flourish Sabastine’s attempted cross turned into an unlikely goal, evading Korean goalkeeper Woo Seo-Bin to put Nigeria ahead.

Osigwe had a chance to double Nigeria’s lead in stoppage time but missed the target.

With this win, Nigeria join Germany atop Group D and will face the three-time World champions on Wednesday in a crucial match that could secure their progression to the next round.

The Germans were good value for the win in their first game as they smashed Venezuela in a 5-2 victory.

Bayer Leverkusen youngster Loreen Bender bagged a brace in a frantic first half that ended 4-1 in favour of the European giants.

Elsewhere, Spain U20 edged to a narrow 1-0 win over the United States while Paraguay forced a 2-0 defeat down the throat of Morocco.

Napoli manager Antonio Conte has reiterated that Nigerian international Victor Osimhen is no longer part of the club’s plans and will not be reintegrated into the first team, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Osimhen was expected to leave the Partenopei during the transfer window after the striker requested to leave.

The Lagos-born emerged as one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, having been linked with moves to Chelsea, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, and Liverpool, among others, following impressive seasons with Napoli.

Despite his desire to leave the club, the Nigerian striker’s anticipated move to Stamford Bridge fell through, leaving him in a limbo as the transfer window closed on Friday.

While Chelsea were the most likely destination for Osimhen, Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli also emerged as a potential destination. They even reportedly agreed on terms with Napoli for the transfer, but the deal fell apart when the Italian side asked for a further €5m in addition to the agreed €80m transfer fee.

As the 2024/25 season unfolds, Conte remains adamant that neither Osimhen nor other players would be reintegrated in the team despite their inability to strengthen the squad as envisaged.

“Some issues blocked it; perhaps if we had unlocked that [Osimhen] situation, we would have completed the team differently and earlier,” Conte said at a post-match press conference on Saturday.

“The club made an effort, and I must be happy with it.”

“I’m sorry about what happened. I’m sorry for Osimhen. I’m sorry for the club that didn’t monetize. I am sorry for myself because we didn’t complete the team as we wanted, but the club proved to be consistent in this situation,” continued Conte.

“Coherence is the starting point when it comes to respecting the rules. The club proved consistent, so I praise them for this attitude.”

Conte insists that the club were consistent in dealing with Osimhen and other players not in the team.

“No, this is the team. This is the group,” he added.

“We made decisions. I mentioned coherence before. Those who are not consistent don’t respect the rules. I repeat, respect to the club. The president proved consistent despite losing important money—credit where credit is due. The club were consistent, knowing that if the situation had been unlocked earlier, we would all have been advantaged. As I said, we’ve started rebuilding. Good players arrived. They were on the table. It took us time to understand and think about it, but we signed them, and I am happy. We didn’t do everything, and it’s okay, but I think the club did well.”

With no immediate transfer on the horizon and Napoli’s firm stance on Osimhen’s exclusion from the squad, the Super Eagles striker finds himself in a challenging position.

The 25-year-old striker, who had been one of the most sought-after talents in European football, now faces an uncertain future at least until January, when the transfer window reopens.

However, the Saudi Arabian transfer window remains open until September 2 (today), while the Turkish Super Lig window is open until September 13, which means that the Nigerian could still save himself from getting stuck at Naples until January.

Former Premier League defender who played across multiple clubs, Sol Bamba, has died at the age of 39 while in charge of a match for a Turkish club.

His death was confirmed on Saturday.

The former defender, known for his stints with Leeds United, Cardiff City, and Leicester City, had been battling Non-Hodgkin lymphoma since 2020.

Bamba, who also represented the Ivory Coast national team, was serving as the technical director of Turkish side, Adanaspor, at the time of his death.

The club announced the news in a statement on X, stating, “Our Technical Director Souleymane Bamba, who fell ill before the Manisa Football Club match played yesterday, was taken to Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital and unfortunately lost his battle for life there. Our condolences to his family and our community.”

The former Cardiff City, Leeds, and Leicester defender had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare form of cancer, on Christmas Eve in 2020.

Although he was believed to be in remission, Turkish outlet Hurriyet reported that he “fell ill before the Manisa FK match due to a relapse of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”

After retiring from professional football in 2022, Bamba transitioned into coaching, serving as an assistant manager for Cardiff City before joining Adanaspor in the summer of 2024.

He had been working as the club’s technical director until his untimely passing.

Tributes have poured in from Bamba’s former clubs and teammates.

Cardiff City, where he spent a significant portion of his career, released a heartfelt statement on X: “It is with the deepest sadness that we have learnt this evening about the passing of Club legend, Sol Bamba. As a player and coach, Sol’s impact on our football club was immeasurable. He was a hero to all of us, a leader in every dressing room, and a true gentleman. Our thoughts are with his friends, family, and everyone lucky enough to know and love Sol.”

Middlesbrough, where Bamba played in the 2021-22 season, also paid tribute on X: “We are devastated to learn of the passing of Sol Bamba at the age of 39. Our thoughts are with Sol’s family and friends at this time. RIP Sol.”

Leeds United, where Bamba served as captain in 2016, expressed their sorrow: “Everyone at #LUFC is devastated to learn of the news that former #LUFC captain Sol Bamba has passed away. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends at this tragic time. Rest in peace, Sol, you will be forever in our hearts.”

Bamba began his football journey in Paris with Paris Saint-Germain’s youth setup before moving to Scotland, where he played for Dunfermline and Hibernian.

His English football career started in 2011 when he joined Leicester City under Sven-Goran Eriksson, with whom he shared a close bond.

Earlier this week, Bamba paid tribute to his former manager, Eriksson, who also recently passed away.

Bamba later played for Trabzonspor and Palermo before returning to England in 2015 to join Leeds.

His captaincy at Leeds was cut short when he moved to Cardiff City in 2016, where he made 118 appearances.

It was during his time in Cardiff that he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He fought the disease for several months undergoing chemotherapy, and made an emotional return in the final match of the 2020-21 season.

He subsequently signed for Middlesbrough, where he made 28 appearances and famously scored the winning penalty in the FA Cup fourth-round clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Reflecting on his battle with cancer, Bamba once told Mail Sport, “After the first chemo, I was down for four days. I could not get out of bed. I lost weight. After that, I told my missus, ‘I’m not going for the second round.’ The way I was, in that moment, it was awful.”

Despite the challenges, Bamba made a return to the pitch, inspiring many with his resilience.

Napoli boss, Antonio Conte has expressed regret over the club’s failure to sell Victor Osimhen this summer.

The Italian also appeared to confirm he has no plans to reintegrate the Nigeria international in the squad.

Conte spoke about the Osimhen situation after he led his side to a 2-1 win over Parma with Osimhen’s replacement, Romelu Lukaku coming off the bench to score one of the goals. 

Osimhen failed to complete his transfer to Chelsea on transfer deadline day on Friday over the Blues failure to meet his salary demand.

With the coming of Lukaku, it means it would be difficult for the Super Eagles striker to find minutes under Conte.

“I’m happy with the work the club did on the market,” Conte said via Fabrizio Romano.

“If there had been the sale of Victor Osimhen, we would have completed the situation… but I’m happy”.